Deaths from heatstroke in Tokyo up fourfold from July last year

Ninety-six people died of heatstroke in Tokyo’s 23 wards in July, nearly a fourfold increase from the same month last year, the Tokyo Medical Examiner’s Office said Wednesday.

The figure far outstripped the 25 people who died of heatstroke in July last year, with reports of deaths rising sharply between July 17 and 25 as a heat wave gripped the nation in the wake of massive flooding and landslides that struck western Japan, according to the office.

Of the total, people in their 60s or older accounted for 85.4 percent of the deaths, the office said.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said Tuesday that 57,534 people across the country were taken to hospitals due to heatstroke or heat exhaustion between April 30 and July 29, including 125 people who died.

On July 23, the heat wave sent the temperature to a national record high of 41.1 degrees in Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture.